Relevant process steps influencing wort and beer composition and its quality: A review

Abstract

Traditionally beer is made from four raw materials: water, malt, hops and yeast. The first three define the nutrient supply for the latter and compose the wort by the chosen process environment in the brewhouse. Mashing, mash separation and wort clarification define the wort composition and consequently the fermentation performance. This literature review gives an overview of making wort, by taking a closer look at malt and mashing and the dissolution of its components, the mash separation by lautertun and rotary disc filter and its principles, the resulting wort composition which defines the final beer quality by driving the yeast metabolism during fermentation. The review is the basis for a systematic analysis of novel brewhouse worts, based on an integrated, dynamic lautering technology, in comparison to conventional lautertun worts and its effects on the whole brewing process. This comparison will be examined in the next article.